There are few things as daunting in this life as choosing the perfect name for your child. Not only do you have to pick something that you like, that you think they will like, that sounds good with your last name, and that seems to work for their individuality, you must make that decision with your partner. If you need tips on where to start and how to narrow down your list, check out my blog post on finding the perfect baby name.

While a list of baby names seems silly to be writing out as a blog post, I know that when I’ve been searching for a perfect name it was much more helpful to have a more condensed list of someone else’s favorites to browse than an alphabetical list of every name that exists.

This is my personal list of favorites. While we may not share the same style and preferences, hopefully this is a place for you to start and narrow down some names that you do and don’t like. I’ve added their meanings, origin, nicknames, and similar names. I hope these are helpful to you in your pursuit! Good luck!

Abram

Means: Exalted

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Abe, Abie, Bram

Similar names: Abraham, Isaac, Joshua, Caleb, Amos, Abel, Ezekiel, Solomon, Abner

Bennett

Means: Blessed

Origin: English

Nicknames: Ben

Similar names: Benedict, Benjamin, Reuben, Maxwell, Gregory, Jameson, Vincent

Caleb

Means: Whole heartedly devoted to God

Origin: Hebrew

Similar names: Seth, Jonah, Judah, Micah, Joshua, Benjamin, Elijah, Aaron, Daniel 

Conley

Means: Hero

Origin: Irish

Similar names: Conlan, Finnegan, Finley, Quinn, Bradley, Emerson, Maxwell, Calvin

Daniel

Means: God is my judge

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Danny, Dan

Similar names: David, Samuel, Gabriel, Nathaniel, Josiah, Joshua, Caleb, Aaron, Jacob

Elias

Means: My God is Yahweh

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Eli

Similar names: Elijah, Micah, Elliott, Judah, Caleb, Josiah, Ezekiel, Isaac, Samuel, Joshua

Ezekiel

Means: God strengthens

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Zeke

Similar names: Ezra, Malachi, Abram, Zechariah, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Elias, Josiah

Finnegan

Means: Fair

Origin: Irish/Scottish

Nicknames: Finn

Similar names: Finley, Conley, Maxwell, Gregory, Quinn, Bradley, Callahan, Sullivan

Gabriel

Means: God is my strength

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Gabe

Similar names: Daniel, Samuel, Nathaniel, Elijah,  Isaac, Isaiah, Caleb, Zachariah

Gilbert

Means: Shining Pledge

Origin: German

Nicknames: Gil, Bert

Similar names: Gibson, Wilbur, Phillip, William, Calvin, Albert, Robert, Edwin, Sawyer

Gregory

Means: Watchful

Origin: Greek

Nicknames: Greg

Similar names: Nicholas, Bennett, Jameson, Maxwell, Vincent, Wesley, Bradley, Timothy

Isaac

Means: Laughter

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Zac

Similar names: Isaiah, Micah, Elijah, Seth, Levi, Noah, Abram, Jonah, Ezra, Benjamin

Jamison/Jameson

Means: Son of James

Origin: English

Nicknames: James, Jamie

Similar names: Maxwell, Finnegan, Harrison, Bennett, Elliott, Remington, Jackson

Jeremiah

Means: Appointed by God

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Jere, Jeremy, Miah, Remy

Similar names: Isaiah, Josiah, Nathaniel, Nehemiah, Joshua, Jedidiah, Joseph, Elijah

Josiah

Means: God supports

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Joe, Siah

Similar names: Joseph, Isaiah, Joshua, Caleb, Elias, Micaiah, Jeremiah, Jedidiah, Elijah

Judah

Means: Praise

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Jude

Similar names: Jonah, Caleb, Jonas, Lance, Elias, Micah, Amos, Tobias, Zion, Shiloh

Lance

Means: Servant

Origin: French

Similar names: Seth, Jude, Rhett, Landon, Rowen, Sawyer, James, Toby, Bennet, Wesley

Liam

Means: Protector

Origin: Irish

Similar names: William, Judah, Tobias, Wesley, Jamie, Finley, Rhett, Declan, Owen

Lincoln

Means: Town by the pool

Origin: English

Nicknames: Linc

Similar names: Bennett, Wesley, Elliott, Wesley, Tobias, William, Jamison, Graham

Maxwell

Means: Great stream

Origin: Scottish

Nicknames: Max

Similar names: Alexander, Nicholas, Gregory, Finnegan, Vincent, William, Harrison

Micaiah

Means: Who is like God?

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Mic

Similar names: Micah, Malachi, Isaiah, Judah, Josiah, Elijah, Noah, Ezra, Silas, Simon

Nathaniel

Means: Gift of God

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Eli

Similar names: Daniel, Jeremiah, Josiah, Isaiah, Benjamin, William, Timothy, Nehemiah

Oliver

Means: Peaceful

Origin: Latin

Nicknames: Ollie

Similar names: Henry, Charlie, Elliott, Vincent, William, Landon, Finley, Rhett, Bennett

Rueben

Means: Behold, a son

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Ben, Rue

Similar names: Benjamin, Bennett, Rhett, Landon, Simeon, Rufus, Judah, Boaz, Gideon

Samuel

Means: God heard

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Sam, Sammy

Similar names: Samson, Eli, Daniel, Gabriel, Nathaniel, Simon, Benjamin, Thomas

Seth

Means: Appointed

Origin: Hebrew

Similar names: Cain, Abel, Adam, Lance, Jude, Caleb, Jonah, Luke, Aaron, Jared, Ethan

Timothy

Means: Honoring to God

Origin: Greek

Nicknames: Tim, Timmie

Similar names: Thomas, Stephen, Marcus, Patrick, Michael, Nicholas, Robert, Nathaniel

Tobias

Means: God is good

Origin: Greek

Nicknames: Toby

Similar names: Thaddeus, Elias, Atticus, Amos, Silas, Jonah, Judah, Caleb, Lance, Nolan

Vincent

Means: Conqueror

Origin: Latin

Nicknames: Vince

Similar names: Victor, William, Charles, Arthur, Dominic, Quentin, Calvin, Magnus

Wesley

Means: Western Meadow

Origin: English

Nicknames: Wes

Similar names: Weston, William, Landon, Emmett, Elliott, Bennet, Flynn, Theodore

Zechariah

Means: The Lord has remembered

Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Zach

Similar names: Zachariah, Zacharias, Zahkar, Zaccheus, Zebadiah, Zebulun, Ezekiel